kitchen witch edition // observe ten. day 3192. (monday 3.30.26) // 1. i mean, i’m not planning to cook 7 or 8 lobsters, but it feels good to know it’s an option. // 2. but really, let’s normalize owning a 35-quart stockpot. i’d rather cook once and have 30 quarts of soup. // 3. purple carrots, cut fancy. // 4. winifred sleeping on a stack of pillows and blankets. // 5. the grief when those you share memories with are gone. (gone isn’t the right word + is far from the truth) // 6. looking at pictures of paris and wishing i could hop on a train and just be there. // 7. doodle stomachs are so freaking touchy. i was warned. and yet, here we are. // 8. papier-mâché all day. // 9. still emotionally hungover from the cowboy junkies concert last week. it is rare to excitedly wait for something (for eons) and still it exceeds our expectations. // 10. the birds continue to get aggressively louder. // #memory #magic #writing #ordinarymagic #dailylife #observeten #list #memories #reallife #ordinarylife #poemnotes #dailypractice #beherenow #weareinthistogether #storytelling #weareourstories #thesacredordinary #thepresentmoment #memoriesrealandimagined #swimminginallthefeels #beloveds #iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou #whatmattersmost #keepshowingup #trusttheprocess #nibletsrhymeswithgoulet

another late night edition // observe ten. day 3117. (wednesday 1.14.26) // 1. our dog after a walk in the rain = tina turner’s wig on four legs. // 2. goal: inbox zero. this may prove difficult given my 405,979 unread emails. // 3. hydrangea tumbleweed on the way to school. // 4. metronome. // 5. context is everything. // 6. the end of 2nd quarter is s…

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lately edition // observe ten. day 3061. (wednesday 11.19.25) // 1. her bell as she trots around, thrilled it’s morning again. // 2. where is her house? why can’t i remember? ah yes, next to the jason bourne alleyway. // 3. street sweeper + snuffleupagus leaf picker-upper. it’s a richard scarry kind of morning. // 4. electric birdsong. so many frozen gi…

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extra pillows edition // observe ten. day 3053. (tuesday 11.11.25) // 1. the results are in: an s-shaped curve. // 2. periodic table element assignment: soda. // 3. winifred is very, uh, winifred-y at bathtime. // 4. all the man cold jokes caught up with me. ew. // 5. tomorrow will be a different kind of wednesday. // 6. still n…

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#horncore edition // observe ten. days 3046–3047. (wed & thurs 11.5 & 11.6.25) // 1. it’s similar to measure twice, cut once; but, i guess you can always go back and fix it. kind of. // 2. there’s a large piece of water buffalo horn in the living room. my past dogs really missed out on these things. one brand has “horn core” available and i can’t help b…

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ginger ale edition // observe ten. day 3046. (tuesday 11.4.25) // 1. weird funeral dreams. metaphorical death and all that. but he was there, talking. // 2. ginkgo leaves everywhere. // 3. playing our favorite willow songs in the old high school parking lot before school. // 4. i had forgotten…on his birthday we sa…

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well, let’s fast forward. it’s now observe ten. day 3039. (10.28.25) // 1. it’s the insistence. // 2. field trip! // 3. winifred and her cherry tomato. // 4. the …

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gnocchi edition // observe ten. day 3005. (9.24.25) // 1. overheard (spoken by a preteen) 20 days ago: “some people find jesus, others lie on the internet.” // 2. the tradition of observe ten coincides with meeting d, i think. but how can that be? // 3. recipes. piles and piles of recipes. binders stuffed fulll of recipes. finally getting it all organiz…

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strikeout edition // observe ten. day 2886. (wednesday 5.28.25) // 1. rain. off the hook; the new containers don’…

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hamster wheel edition // observe ten. day 2885. (tuesday 5.27.25) // 1. i see an email from hipstamatic, and i wonder what year it is. the time warp continues, i guess. // 2. he laughs. i don’t have to close my eyes to picture the indelible smile. // 3. hallway soccer. i can hear them over whatever spotify is playing in the background. // 4. it’s 7:30 p…

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lost tapes edition // observe ten. day 2867. (friday 5.9.25) // 1. i write a poem. then a text. a sense of regret and sadness saunter into the room. a gut punch. a heavy quilt brought out only on the coldest of days. he had such a lightness, it always was easier to breathe with him around. so many s…

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preventative healthcare edition // observe ten. day 2881. (friday 5.23.25) // 1. i look at the date of the album release. songs as time capsule, always. but these are different. these cut deeper than the rest. // 2. doing all the grown-up things earns us moments of complete folly, right? (she pauses to look up the accurate definition of “folly” because …

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a loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter edition // observe ten. day 2866. (thursday, 5.8.25) // 1. grocery shopping with charlie. he knows where everything is and i realize i can’t remember the last time i was in a local grocery store—like within our zip code. i really delegated some things while simon was …

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quite delighted edition // observe ten. days 2863–4. (monday + tuesday, may 5 & 6, 2025) // 1. starting the week with a zoom and so many brainstorms for our new substack. never underestimate a pair of witches and a whole bunch of books. // 2. talking about the magic of libraries makes me want to put on some pants and get to, well, the library. it’s really the only place i ever want to be other than home/the backyard. // 3. leftover homemade dill pickle pizza for lunch. // 4. zinnia seeds. dill. garlic chives. cosmos. i’d like a bit of rain to water them in. now to plant all the pots and planters. // 5. the bliss when alexa announces that my washer is done. // 6. zones. systems. routines. what can we implement to make life better over here? // 7. i type “forgotten pear” instead of “rotten pear” several times. the brain fog is real, y’all. i thought it had lifted last week… i guess it just wasn’t as permanent as i’d hoped. // 8. i am so excited i yell the whole time. volume modulation isn’t one of my strong suits. // 9. i tell her the story of the vegan cookbook situation, and when i retell simon how i shared the story, i am laugh-crying with abandon. // 10. bedtimes have been a disaster this week. there’s just so much going on and not enough hours in the day. // #memory #magic #writing #ordinarymagic #dailylife #observeten #list #memories #reallife #ordinarylife #poemnotes #dailypractice #beherenow #weareinthistogether #storytelling #weareourstories #thesacredordinary #thepresentmoment #memoriesrealandimagined #swimminginallthefeels #beloveds #iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou #whatmattersmost #keepshowingup #trusttheprocess #idreamtofyouallsummerlong

museum edition // observe ten. day 2859. (thursday 5.1.25) // 1. as patti digh would say, “whole new month! whole new month!” it’s a thing of celebration, despite the absolute dumpster fire that america has become. // 2. rp’s wisdom: “you’re an archivist” — thinking of the bookshelf behind grandpa duke’s extra bedroom’s door: bottles, containers, small jars, everything organized, labelled. a place for everything and everything in its place. the cigar boxes in the shed holding bolts and nails and sandpaper. an absolute art installation, all of it. // 3. maybe that’s what i’ve been waiting for. something based in sentimentality but also so terribly concrete it hurts to carry it for too long. // 4. all month i meant to catch up on the poems and the prompts, yet the sit there, unopened. this is another one of those substacks worthy of a catch-up, a deep dive. sometimes i think i avoid her writing because i wish we lived in the same city and could meet up and write and shit talk all the things that are so obviously wrong with the world while leaving lipstick prints on coffee cups. my imagination puts us at the state street ella’s deli circa 1995 with our notebooks and assorted writing utensils. // 5. the first draft splashes onto the page. there’s not much to change, really. i love the rhythm, the flow. i try a few more versions, returning each time to the first. sometimes what lands the most organically is what’s right. // 6. word count. i forgot that google just figures that out for you these days. // 7. when people ask me if i have recent pictures of my kids on my phone i’m always stumped, however if you want to talk about em dashes, i’m ready to dive deep. (okay, i don’t really love em dashes more than my kids, but everyone who says em dashes are a giveaway that chatgpt wrote something are absolutely clueless.) // 8. i read a substack from a writer who opted to share one of her morning pages entries and i am overwhelmed with the memory of trading moring pages back and forth with him. i don’t know how long we participated in that writerly exchange, but i remember it being such a lovely, albeit short-lived, part of our friendship. i hate that we’re—well, what should i call it?—estranged. that our friendship is likely broken beyond repair. i don’t know if it’s wise to want to fix it. is that giving in? is it safe? smart? have i learned anything since we parted ways? life was very different then. but i know i don’t want to risk more disappointment. i say that, but at the same time, i fully recognize that disappointments are unavoidable and i have no control over most things. i miss our writerly days. second floor, fhs, newspaper room. // 9. rain. green everywhere. we made it to spring. // 10. today feels like a less long covid-y day. like my brain is working faster, more like its old self. i know better than to assume this will happen multiple days in a row, but i’ll happily take what i can get. // 11. listening to betty with harps, eating gummy rabbits, shit talking mean girls. we call that thursday. // #memory #magic #writing #ordinarymagic #dailylife #observeten #list #memories #reallife #ordinarylife #poemnotes #dailypractice #beherenow #weareinthistogether #storytelling #weareourstories #thesacredordinary #thepresentmoment #memoriesrealandimagined #swimminginallthefeels #beloveds #iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou #whatmattersmost #keepshowingup #trusttheprocess #idreamtofyouallsummerlongwhat sarah said is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

“good enough; yes, good enough” jane kenyon edition // observe ten. day 2858. (wednesday 4.30.25) // 1. she opts for the term “horizon” instead of “deadline” and i appreciate the gentleness. // 2. i need airplane mode, but for life. // 3. how many gallons of water do we use a day? it seems like there are always fake ocean noises (dishwasher, washing mac…

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tiny bucket of chicken edition // observe ten. day 2857. (tuesday 4.29.25) // 1. the text arrives: “did i take melatonin?” at first, i’m confused, and then it clicks. instead of their morning medication, the kid took the bedtime melatonin. once i stop feeling bad it’s equal parts awful and hilarious. // 2. the kia recall leads to the car needing a new engine. yikes. // 3. cotton candy grapes are all the rage around here. it’s way early for ‘em to be in season, but i’ll take it. // 4. charlie: “every single one qualifies for the top ten. how am i going to decide?” the kid judges his grapes to a serious degree while choosing which one to eat first. “candidates for the best grape of 2025. every single one in this bowl!” // 5. the kia recall leads to the car needing a new engine. yikes. // 6. she’s talking to herself in the bathroom while she washes her hands. always doing a voiceover of her own life. it’s got truman show vibes, but cooler. // 7. there have been a few times in my life, ages ago, it seems, when i found a new writer and went to their blog and devoured all their writing. and i do mean all of it. entire blog archives consumed like a novel, one entry after another. it’s been a long time since i’ve done that, and, of course, the blog landscape is different now. but there are few people with substacks worth combing through every word of every post. // 8. lots of debate over the famous joining substack and ruining it for the rest of us. i’m ignoring that drama and staying for the writing. // 9. soccer socks. i love the way his little muppet legs look on his way to practice. someday soon things are going to be so different. // 10. lately i find myself thinking “kmb would remember” when details of decades past are fuzzy thanks to medication side effects and peri/meno. i’m not sure if she would actually remember or if i’m just sentimental. // #memory #magic #writing #ordinarymagic #dailylife #observeten #list #memories #reallife #ordinarylife #poemnotes #dailypractice #beherenow #weareinthistogether #storytelling #weareourstories #thesacredordinary #thepresentmoment #memoriesrealandimagined #swimminginallthefeels #beloveds #iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou #whatmattersmost #keepshowingup #trusttheprocess

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tadao ando edition // observe ten. day 2853. (friday 4.25.25) // 1. back at the library. engrossed in harper’s like it’s 1992. effortless time travel. // 2. reading nat goldberg’s three simple lines, and she’s talking about the architect i became more familiar with at château la coste. // 3. the first smell of mowed grass. // 4. tomorrow is a garden wor…

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reclamation edition // observe ten. day 2852. (thursday 4.24.25) // 1. still thinking about how proud hq was for standing up for herself (twice!) yesterday. “i was shaking while i said all that… but then there was this weird energy flowing through me.” yes, that’s the power you’ve reclaimed, little one. that’s your power. // 2. this morning’s car ride f…

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